My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rob Leininger’s Gumshoe In The Dark is book #5 in the Mortimer Angel PI series and NO I haven’t read any other book in the series but was perfectly able to follow Mort and his investigation.

Investigative thrillers are definitely not funny books but when you have authors who manage to write them with humor making the story so hilarious that half the time you are clutching your tummy coz of the stitches on your side, I would say that the author’s job is surely done. It is an incredible talent to see the funny side of certain scenes which are otherwise quite grim. Imagine opening the trunk of a car and finding a dead body and all one can think of is Mort’s inner monologue about once again being infamous for having found a missing dead person. Obviously, the scene becomes 1000 shades lighter with that, and the reader is left chuckling instead of depressed and that is just one example in the book.

The story in its entirety is filled with such scenes where humor reigns but hides the intriguing puzzle of chasing one case and ending with a more dangerous one that has Mort traveling the lonely roads of Nevada with a skimpily dressed Harper Leland on technically 2 ½ tires. Mortimer Angel comes across as this lovable cuddly bear who is pulled and pushed by females around him but is anything but. He is incredibly shrewd and brilliant and ready to take on the world to save the love of his life, Lucy, from any harm. The first part of the book was slow going establishing the basic details of both the cases but once the action begins, it was a whirlwind ride. I loved the character of Ma, the lady has such spunk and is ruthless to the core.

Definitely, a series to enjoy if you love puzzling mysteries, hot girls, and a PI who goes into Zen-mode with all the nakedness on display.

Understated brilliance ☂️☂️☂️☂️

Many thanks to Net Galley, Oceanview Publishing, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

USA Today Best-Selling Author

Blackmail, murder, and a pretty girl on the run

Nevada’s attorney general is missing. At dusk on a deserted Nevada highway in a thunderstorm, ex-IRS agent and PI-in-training Mortimer Angel comes across a pretty, scantily-clad girl—Harper Leland. She’s cold and alone, thirty miles from the nearest town.

When Mort offers her a ride, she orders him out of his truck at gunpoint. She tries to take off, but he cuts the valve stem on the rear tire. Realizing she’s in trouble, he wants to help—but with no spare tire, he devises a creative way to get them out of the hills—slowly, precariously balanced on three tires. On their way down, a rough-looking man stops and asks Mort if he has “seen anyone up in the hills.” Mort realizes the guy is after Harper, who is hiding in the truck.

Thus begins a cat-and-mouse chase in northeast Nevada that continues even after Mort finds the attorney general—Harper’s mother—dead in the trunk of a car. In time, Mort’s wife, Lucy, is also pulled into the case, which becomes the deadliest of Mort’s career.

The perfect mix of John Sanford, Randy Wayne White, and Carl Hiaasen.

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