Reviews
Gumshoe is by a large margin the best and most entertaining mystery I've read in at least the past couple of years. Rob Leininger captures the voice and heart of the classic PI mystery and manages to make it completely original at the same time. No small feat. And Mortimer Angel is my new favorite Private Eye., "For the first third of this novel, readers are likely to wonder, along with hero Mort Angel, just what they're getting into. Mort is a former IRS agent seeking to reinvent himself as a PI. He and his author push all the buttons. He's solitary, he drinks too much, he banters with hookers. Is this a parody? An homage? A clumsy attempt to have it both ways? Hard to tell, even when Leininger has Mort, just like Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep, come home to find a gorgeous naked woman in his bed. Then Mort is asked to solve a couple of grisly murders; he pairs with a female PI, who is also a judo champ, and the mood darkens beautifully. She teaches him how to be a real detective, not the storybook version, by making him sit in a library and read dull documents until his eyes burn. They're drawn into a story of madness, incest, and revenge that ends in a stunning set piece that roars for nearly 40 pages. A fine, thrilling read."-Booklist, "VERDICT The tone of Angel and DiFrazzia's repartee recalls Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles of the "Thin Man" series. Angel's cavalier but determined attitude is offset by DiFrazzia's all-business demeanor, making them a likable and effective team. The somewhat implausible ending does not diminish the reading enjoyment. Should Angel and DiFrazzia morph into a series, mystery readers will be well served."-Library Journal, "VERDICT The tone of Angel and DiFrazzia's repartee recalls Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles of the "Thin Man" series. Angel's cavalier but determined attitude is offset by DiFrazzia's all-business demeanor, making them a likable and effective team. The somewhat implausible ending does not diminish the reading enjoyment. Should Angel and DiFrazzia morph into a series, mystery readers will be well served."-Library Journal, " Gumshoe is by a large margin the best and most entertaining mystery I've read in at least the past couple of years. Rob Leininger captures the voice and heart of the classic PI mystery and manages to make it completely original at the same time. No small feat. And Mortimer Angel is my new favorite Private Eye."-John Lescroart, For the first third of this novel, readers are likely to wonder, along with hero Mort Angel, just what they're getting into. Mort is a former IRS agent seeking to reinvent himself as a PI. He and his author push all the buttons. He's solitary, he drinks too much, he banters with hookers. Is this a parody? An homage? A clumsy attempt to have it both ways? Hard to tell, even when Leininger has Mort, just like Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep, come home to find a gorgeous naked woman in his bed. Then Mort is asked to solve a couple of grisly murders; he pairs with a female PI, who is also a judo champ, and the mood darkens beautifully. She teaches him how to be a real detective, not the storybook version, by making him sit in a library and read dull documents until his eyes burn. They're drawn into a story of madness, incest, and revenge that ends in a stunning set piece that roars for nearly 40 pages. A fine, thrilling read., Five-Star Review: "All Mortimer Angel wants to do is shed the skin of his previous incarnation as a disaffected IRS field agent, and begin his exciting new life as a Private Investigator. Full of fanciful ideas and preconceived notions of what being a P.I. means, Mort soon finds himself in the thick of an ongoing mystery involving the missing mayor and the D.A. of Reno, NV. As the dead start cropping up all around him, and a naked blonde shows up out of nowhere, his new life is turning out to be almost too much for this gumshoe to handle! Will Mort be able to use his newly acquired detective skills to solve this case? Or will Mort's P.I. days be over before they truly begin? Rob Leininger has spun an electrifying suspense novel, full of twists and turns! Mortimer Angel is the shining gem in this tale. His rapier wit and tongue-in-cheek manner are an ongoing source of amusement. Likeable characters, crisp dialogue, and an intriguing storyline add up to a flawless execution of this hardboiled thriller. Mr. Leininger does a masterful job of intensifying that "pins and needles" feeling that will have one on the edge of their seat right up until the very end! Gumshoe is a standout novel with a finale that will leave the reader stunned and eagerly awaiting the next effort from the talented Mr. Leininger." - - InD'tale Magazine, "VERDICT The tone of Angel and DiFrazzia's repartee recalls Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles of the "Thin Man" series. Angel's cavalier but determined attitude is offset by DiFrazzia's all-business demeanor, making them a likable and effective team. The somewhat implausible ending does not diminish the reading enjoyment. Should Angel and DiFrazzia morph into a series, mystery readers will be well served.", "At the start of this complex, seductive thriller from Leininger ( Killing Suki Flood ), Mort Angel has quit a dead-end job as an IRS agent and is about to embark on a new career as a PI trainee in Reno, Nev. Meanwhile, Mort's ex-wife has been heating the sheets with Reno's mayor, but the mayor has mysteriously disappeared along with the city's DA, and Angel's first assignment is to hunt down the two missing politicians. What looks like a straightforward hard-boiled tale takes one surprising turn after another, propelled by Mort's snappy narrative voice and wry observations. While Mort's astonishing success in the romance department is more than slightly far-fetched, Leininger keeps the action rolling fast enough to keep any willing reader turning the pages. Eventually, Mort unravels a family history that would make Ross Macdonald proud. There's no violence and very little gore for most of the novel, but after a long and complicated buildup, the climax arrives with screaming intensity."-Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW, "VERDICT The tone of Angel and DiFrazzia's repartee recalls Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles of the "Thin Man" series. Angel's cavalier but determined attitude is offset by DiFrazzia's all-business demeanor, making them a likable and effective team. The somewhat implausible ending does not diminish the reading enjoyment. Should Angel and DiFrazzia morph into a series, mystery readers will be well served.", Five-Star Review: "All Mortimer Angel wants to do is shed the skin of his previous incarnation as a disaffected IRS field agent, and begin his exciting new life as a Private Investigator. Full of fanciful ideas and preconceived notions of what being a P.I. means, Mort soon finds himself in the thick of an ongoing mystery involving the missing mayor and the D.A. of Reno, NV. As the dead start cropping up all around him, and a naked blonde shows up out of nowhere, his new life is turning out to be almost too much for this gumshoe to handle! Will Mort be able to use his newly acquired detective skills to solve this case? Or will Mort's P.I. days be over before they truly begin? Rob Leininger has spun an electrifying suspense novel, full of twists and turns! Mortimer Angel is the shining gem in this tale. His rapier wit and tongue-in-cheek manner are an ongoing source of amusement. Likeable characters, crisp dialogue, and an intriguing storyline add up to a flawless execution of this hardboiled thriller. Mr. Leininger does a masterful job of intensifying that "pins and needles" feeling that will have one on the edge of their seat right up until the very end! Gumshoe is a standout novel with a finale that will leave the reader stunned and eagerly awaiting the next effort from the talented Mr. Leininger." , At the start of this complex, seductive thriller from Leininger ( Killing Suki Flood ), Mort Angel has quit a dead-end job as an IRS agent and is about to embark on a new career as a PI trainee in Reno, Nev. Meanwhile, Mort's ex-wife has been heating the sheets with Reno's mayor, but the mayor has mysteriously disappeared along with the city's DA, and Angel's first assignment is to hunt down the two missing politicians. What looks like a straightforward hard-boiled tale takes one surprising turn after another, propelled by Mort's snappy narrative voice and wry observations. While Mort's astonishing success in the romance department is more than slightly far-fetched, Leininger keeps the action rolling fast enough to keep any willing reader turning the pages. Eventually, Mort unravels a family history that would make Ross Macdonald proud. There's no violence and very little gore for most of the novel, but after a long and complicated buildup, the climax arrives with screaming intensity., Five-Star Review: "All Mortimer Angel wants to do is shed the skin of his previous incarnation as a disaffected IRS field agent, and begin his exciting new life as a Private Investigator. Full of fanciful ideas and preconceived notions of what being a P.I. means, Mort soon finds himself in the thick of an ongoing mystery involving the missing mayor and the D.A. of Reno, NV. As the dead start cropping up all around him, and a naked blonde shows up out of nowhere, his new life is turning out to be almost too much for this gumshoe to handle! Will Mort be able to use his newly acquired detective skills to solve this case? Or will Mort's P.I. days be over before they truly begin? Rob Leininger has spun an electrifying suspense novel, full of twists and turns! Mortimer Angel is the shining gem in this tale. His rapier wit and tongue-in-cheek manner are an ongoing source of amusement. Likeable characters, crisp dialogue, and an intriguing storyline add up to a flawless execution of this hardboiled thriller. Mr. Leininger does a masterful job of intensifying that "pins and needles" feeling that will have one on the edge of their seat right up until the very end! Gumshoe is a standout novel with a finale that will leave the reader stunned and eagerly awaiting the next effort from the talented Mr. Leininger." -- InD'tale Magazine, Praise for the Mortimer Angel Gumshoe Series "The Mort Angel books are instant PI classicssmart, slick, charming, and highly recommended." Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author * "Sharp dialogue, outrageous events, and a delightful mix of characters help make this outing a winner. Move over Stephanie Plum, Leininger's gumshoe has joined the ranks of the diabolically entertaining." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Rob Leininger captures the voice and heart of the classic PI mystery and manages to make it completely original at the same time--Mortimer Angel is my new favorite Private Eye." --John Lescroart, New York Times best-selling author "Outstanding! From its opening line to its satisfying denouement, Rob Leininger's Gumshoe in the Dark is a tightly plotted, deftly executed, wickedly funny, and wildly entertaining story. Find a comfortable chair and enjoy a ride through the backroads of Nevada." --Sheldon Siegel, New York Times best-selling author "Readers who loved Robert B. Parker's Spenser or Matt Goldman's Nils Shapiro will appreciate the humor and investigative work in this outstanding example of the PI novel." -- Library Journal (Starred Review) "A stunning bit of bravura writing." -- Booklist " Gumshoe Rock is a knock-your-socks-off mystery with a healthy dose of graveyard humor." -- Foreword Reviews "Fans of Travis McGee hungry for red-meat private-eye adventure will tune out the mystery and focus on the hero's effortlessly self-confident sex appeal, superhuman physical strength, and nice way with dialogue." -- Kirkus Reviews "Rob Leininger's attention to philosophical detail mirrors my own: Bad often begets good. Witty humor softens grisly crime scene descriptions, making Mort my go-to gumshoe. Gumshoe Rock rocks!" -- Bookreporter "Once this novel is picked up, the reader will be reluctant to put it down . . . bring on the next adventure, Mr. Leininger. We'll be waiting!" New York Journal of Books "Leininger's Gumshoe series is a magnificent PI mystery smorgasbord seasoned with elements of Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum." -- Bookreporter
