Surfing The Classmate Murders

I read, a lot. I like just about any genre out there but I always go back to my first love, the mystery novel. I like a good hard boiled detective story, a good murder mystery, a gripping whodunit. When I was a wee lad, I read the Hardy Boys, eventually graduating into Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie and then into Mickey Spillane et al.

So when I got a chance to catch a new writer, a guy writing murder mysteries, well then I jumped at the chance. I ran into Bob Moats on twitter, he is @MurderNovels and being the net surfer I am I clicked on over to his website. With a moniker like Murder Novels, I figured it had to be good. I hit the jack pot.

Checking out Bob's site I find out he lives just down The Great Road from me, about an hour or so south, a fellow Michigander. Reading the first story I know the places he talks about, the roads they travel, kinda neat really, not necessary to the enjoyment of the story, but well.. neat for me. Bob is an indie writer, but not only that, he prints, yes I said prints, his own books. His website is full of cool things to check out. But let us get into the good part, the review, shall we?

Mr. Moats was kind enough to send me a pdf copy of The Classmate Murders and I opened it up with the intention of reading the first chapter or two before bed, then enjoying the reading over the next few days. That was three days ago and I finished the book yesterday. I did not read just a couple chapters, I had to stop around chapter 8 because I just could not focus anymore and totally lost track of time. You could say I was drawn right into the story, right from the first paragraph.

Jim Richards, our hero of the story, is a 60 year old guy, a bit down on his luck. After losing his job, moving into his parents house to help his mom take care of his dad, and stuck in a small bedroom with a computer and beer as companions, you would think the guy is a big loser. Jim Richards, right off the first page tells you he is a big loser. Far from it, but it is the style, the self deprecating humor that draws you into his story.

Jim Richards is an average joe who gets caught up in a murder mystery. When Jim gets an email from an old high school friend, he calls her number, only to have it answered by Trapper, the cop investigating at the scene. She has been murdered. Feeling at a lost, Jim calls his good friend Buck, a biker with a colorful past.  Jim tells Buck what has happened and Buck wants to know when they are going to start investigating. Jim and Buck are two average guys who worked security for a car dealership, not detectives, but with one old friend murdered and others on a list, they start checking it out.

That my friends, is just a synopsis of the first chapter. Jim and Buck are great characters and the other players fit right in the story. Trapper, the tough cop, Penny, the damsel in distress, the bad guys, its all in there, all very real and very believable. I was hooked because it has all the elements of good murder mysteries but told in a different way. The characters are unique, well thought out and just plain interesting, even the bad guys.

Now I am not gonna say anymore, it is a murder mystery after all, you'll have to read it for yourself. I will say this, I like it. That simple really. The Classmate Murders is a good mystery novel, a real page turner and has all the skill and elements you associate with a good mystery story. Heck I was not even sure who the bad guy was until the very last chapter when Jim and Buck figure it out, no kidding, and I pride myself on figuring out mysteries. The good news is that this is just the beginning, there are more Jim Richards crime novels to be had, and I will be buying them, no doubt about it.

See here mack, it was a shweet ride and Moats has the goods see. So leg it over to his place and pick up a bindle of words on the cheap. Tell him Paddy sent ya.

Comments

[Jenny Beans]

One of the thing I love about reading an author from my region is knowing the places they mention in their books. Jonathan Maberry is a great example for me. When reading "Ghost Road Blues," I was so excited every time I knew a place he mentioned. :D

Great review, Pat!

[Nicole Ireland]

I, too, love a good murder mystery and always find myself gravitating back toward them. The more twists the better.

[Acadia]

"I had to stop around chapter 8 because I just could not focus anymore and totally lost track of time"

You are the WORST air traffic controller in Chicago.

[vange]

@Acadia At least he didn't have his kid talking to pilots.