A high school teacher is not your typical murder victim, and more than one suggests a connection that P.I. Vinnie Briggs intends to make. This could be a dangerous undertaking so Vinnie hires Rita Light, a fitness fanatic and martial arts champion, for protection.
But Rita is seeking an unconventional kind of partnership. While Vinnie searches for clues in data, she looks to the bedroom. … bedroom. Between them they stumble across evidence that suggests vengeance motivates the killer and he’s not done. Finding who has the strongest motive could solve the case and possibly save lives…
This is an investigation like no other for Vinnie, complete with high school athletes, vindictive teenagers, beautiful men and women, bodybuilding, and martial arts adapted for sex. Outlier Man shows the unintended consequences of vigilantism leading to a surprising conclusion in a modern morality tale that questions the efficacy of our rules.
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THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
22nd Feb, 2020
TITLE: Outlier Man
AUTHOR: Charles Puccia
Star Rating: 4
‘A well-plotted P I mystery with a ton of twists to keep you turning the page.’ The Wishing Shelf
REVIEW
When I was a kid, I loved Magnus P I. Everybody did! He was cool; we all loved the red Ferrari, and every mystery he solved was complicated – but not too complicated. Oh, and we all loved Higgins. Now, I’m much older, Magnum is not long on UK TV and I detest Midsummer Murders. Thankfully, my need for a cleverly plotted P I mystery is now met by novels. And, I’m happy to tell you, this P I mystery is pretty good.
Now this book is not going to wow you in terms of originality. There are a few murders, there’s a charismatic and (slightly) complex P I named Vinnie Briggs, there’s a ton of twists – a few you will see coming, a few you won’t – and there’s a lot of ‘manly’ stuff, a bit of romance, oh, and the hero enjoys saying the F word. All in all, it’s a ‘by the numbers’ murder/mystery. For men!
But that’s okay!
You see, I love books like this. Is it politically correct? Not always. Is the writing style sharp with plenty of pacing. Absolutely. Will my overly liberal sister-in-law who has an overly boring, grey Ford and enjoys telling everybody how wonderful the opera is – will she like? God, no!
So, to sum up, if you enjoy a beer, if you drive an even slightly interesting car, if you think Magnum P I was cool, this book is for you. If going to IKEA is your idea of a fantastic day out, it’s not.
Real men…enjoy!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
http://www.thewsa.co.uk
This is the 1st book I’ve read written by Charles Puccia; he has done a great job at writing a good book; I will definitely be reading more of his books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Outlier Man
Author: Charles Puccia
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 16 readers:
9 would read another book by this author.
7 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
9 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
13 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
9 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘A by the numbers thriller. Plenty happening, a bit sexy in parts. Undoubtedly thriller readers will find this interesting. The writing style is a little too clumpy; a little too sterile for my liking with little in the way of character development. But, as a light read, it’s okay.’ Male reader, aged 34
‘It might not be Hemingway, but there are plenty of twists to keep a reader happy. Fitness fanatics might find this of interest.’ Male reader, aged 36
‘Reminded me a little of the old Death Wish films with the vigilante killer. Cleanly written with solid punctuation and grammar, I could imagine anybody who enjoys a sexy thriller would like this. To be honest, the cover’s a bit naff with the typical torso of a sexy man. But I thought the story was okay. The author might want to work on his descriptive work and try to help the reader get to know the characters and the setting.’ Female reader, aged 56
‘Sexy fun. I think the author knows his readers and what they want.’ Male reader, aged 46
To Sum It Up:
‘A sexy thriller full of twists and turns.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards