Sam Quinton hadn't thought much about the entertainment business for several years. His days as a minor celebrity were part of his past, which was fine with him. But when a Hollywood producer walks through the doors of his gym and offers to create a TV show around his life, Sam doesn't say no right away.
Then
the producer's partner ends up dead in her hotel room, and Sam has to put on
his private detective hat to straighten things out. It doesn't take long to
realize the TV offer may not have been exactly what it was cracked up to be.
Suddenly, a whole lot of seemingly bad folks are gunning for Sam. Forget his
budding Hollywood career. He has to do everything possible to keep himself and
his client alive.
The Booker is the sixth novel in author Kevin R. Doyle’s fun and addictive Sam Quinton Mystery series, featuring the witty, straight-shooting former pro-wrestler turned gym owner and private investigator. If that description captures your imagination, then you’ll understand how it also appealed to a couple of Hollywood producer types who come knocking on Sam’s door wanting to make him a reality TV star. However, not long after delivering their pitch, one of the out-of-towners is murdered in their hotel room, and Sam sees his dubious chance at, honestly, reluctant stardom end up just as dead.
Sam Quinton is back and finds himself involved with the case of the flaky John Carson when the man’s business partner, Wendy Truell, is found dead in her hotel room, with John suspiciously nowhere to be found for a day or so. Sam hooks the man up with an excellent criminal defense attorney, but ends up along for the ride anyway as questions that need answering arise. I loved that several familiar characters from the previous books return, including Sam’s friends Detective Sergeant Josh Nichols and Lieutenant William Santiago representing law enforcement, Talia Sanderson as Sam’s cool love interest, and the dangerous Sean O’Flaherty, who gets the ball rolling with some initial insight into what may be the impetus for the murder.
The plot is well-paced and unfolds through Sam’s clever but self-deprecating narrative that keeps the story engaging and grounded. The story is not as straightforward as Sam’s delivery, and I was constantly questioning where it would end up. The author’s storytelling brought the action and settings to life, making it easy and satisfying to get lost in Sam’s adventures once again.
I recommend THE BOOKER to readers of mysteries, crime
fiction, and thrillers, and even though this is the sixth Sam Quinton book,
readers new to the series can easily read and enjoy it as a standalone.
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Thank you so much for reviewing THE BOOKER today.
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thanks for reviewing my work. During composition, this one gave me some fits plotwise, so it's nice to have it affirmed that it all worked out.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like an enthralling read. Thanks for sharing.
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