Winner! 2017 Maryland Writer’s Association Mystery/Thriller of the year!Welcome to Port City… his lap. She wants the hard-drinking Johnny to find $2 million that was stolen from her mobster family thirty years earlier. But $2 million can be motivating. Old mobsters come out of witness protection to claim their share, and when bodies begin to pile up, and his sexy, enigmatic client disappears, Johnny is taken on the ride of his life—an Auburn Ride. With a wink and a nod to the hard-boiled private eyes of the pulp noir past, the gritty streets of Port City set the stage for author David Stever’s first thriller in the Delarosa series.
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This was my first David Stever’s book. Auburn Ride is the first book in the Delarosa Series, a great thriller. Private investigator Johnny Delarosa is an amazing character! The secondary characters are great, and they have an important part in the story. The mystery is well built, and unfold at a great pace. The storyline has it all!: action, danger, suspense, mystery, and secrets. I like the little romance and the humor along the story. Bill Lord is a new narrator to me. He did a great job with the narration. He has a great voice, and the characters were easy to distinguish. I enjoyed it. Looking forward for the next book in the Series. I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
First thing that catches your interest about this story is the character, Johnny Delarosa. He’s a neat ex-cop, Private Investigator, that has his office in the back of a bar and a condo on the floor above. This is just the kind of P.I. I like. Tough and growly now and then, with a heart way too soft for his own good.
This is almost a noir mystery. Reminds me of Humphrey Bogart films. Delarosa accidently saves a young woman. Sort of being in the right place at the right time and plenty brave enough to help. Katie soon shows up determined to work for him. He argues and argues but Katie just doesn’t seem to budge. Owning a bar with his retired partner and holding his interviews at a back booth really sets the scene. Just perfect. Excellent characters, good mystery with twists and turns.
I think the author’s descriptive writing and good dialog handling put these scenes in my mind, but I felt the narrator helped with this too. Being able to see, to picture in my mind, makes a big difference in my enjoyment of reading. I think David Stever is definitely a writer who can create these scenes in our head but I also think this narrator made those pictures even more vivid.
This is Book 1 of a series titled “The Delarosa series”.
A thrilling hard boiled detective book
This is my first read from this author and I was not disappointed. David Stever has provide the reader with a gritty, hard boiled detective read in Auburn Ride. Johnny Delarosa, a retired police officer turned private investigator, has plenty going for him; there is his former partner turned pub owner Mike, newly acquired assistant and rescued kidnap victim Katie, Cara a friend with benefits, a number of police and underworld contacts, not to mention his sometimes crazy clients. Mr. Stever takes his readers for a ride as Johnny finds himself being taunted through this investigation. At no time does the reader know what is going on before it is revealed in the story line, which is a huge plus to me. Auburn Ride is an engaging and thrilling hard boiled detective read and I can’t wait to read Toxic Blonde to see what happens in Johnny’s life next.
HOLY HOTCHA MAMA!!!
Talk about stepping off in it. Man. This is one freaking awesome take. All the action, death, heartless, cold blooded, brainless monkeys and a wild ride. You’re hooked from the start and it reels you in for the duration. The characters are well developed and believable. Their personalities are unique with qualities and traits that balance out perfectly. The scenes are vividly detailed and descriptive it paints remarkable backdrop that really makes this storyline pop. Twists and turns abound with unexpected surprises and all the suspense and danger looping all around. Man, David did pull any punches and brought this bad boy to life flawlessly. Great job David, thanks for sharing this awesome read with us.